Currently, there are two basic types of tampons used for feminine hygiene. The first type is a digitally insertable tampon which is designed to be inserted directly by the user's fingers. The second type is an applicator style tampon which is designed to be inserted with the aid of an applicator. Both types are usually made by folding, rolling, or stacking a loosely associated rectangular strip of absorbent material into a blank and then compressing the blank into a cylindrically-shaped product known as a pledget. The pledget may or may not have a cover. In both types, a withdrawal string is attached to the pledget before the tampon is wrapped and packaged for sale. In the applicator style tampon, the tampons are assembled into an applicator prior to being wrapped and packaged.
In use, tampons are designed to be inserted into a woman's vagina to intercept the fluid flow of menses, blood, and other body fluids and to prevent the fluid from exiting the vagina. When the user is ready to remove the tampon from the vagina, she pulls on the withdrawal string connected to the tampon. Ideally, the used tampon remains fully intact as it is withdrawn and does not substantially delaminate, unroll, unfold, telescope, or otherwise structurally degrade. However, this ideal is not always achieved due to various factors such as saturation level, withdrawal angle, wear time, and numerous other factors. To combat these structural issues, numerous attempts to stabilize the tampons have been undertaken. For example, some have tried binder fibers, adhesives, grooved compression, needling, microwave radiation, and the like. However, despite these efforts, there still exists a need for tampons having greater pledget stability during use and during withdrawal.